Thrifty LED Lighting

[GPW]

LED Christmas lights are out now .... pretty Thrifty ... colors too ... There’s just something warm and cozy about Christmas lights ... Lots of places to get them , the ones that run off batteries ...

[depatty]

Hadn't thought about those. And there wouldn't be any soldering involved as they already have wires attached. Will keep an eye peeled for them in the after holiday sales.

Thanks GPW!

ATB
Dave

[GPW]

Dave , i’ve got all sorts of thrifty ideas ... here’s one .... If you use a white plastic bottle cap with a holed drilled in the side to insert the LED , it actually increases the Usable light output , plus giving a soft glow ... makes it easy to mount too ...

[RandyG]

They dont even have to be the ones that sell as 'run on batteries'. One year while getting the lights out of storage, we had a few strands that didnt light up. So I cut a section of about 6 lights off and hooked them to a 9v battery pack. They worked for a good while, had them on my bike for the 1/2 hour commute to work. And that was the standard bulbs, didnt do any testing on led since I didnt want to buy any just to cut it up. After Christmas will be a better time to get a good deal, CLEARANCE! Great thinking GPW, I hadnt thought of that for the camper.

[ghcoe]

If anyone else has tried them please let me know how they work and how much light they put out.

I have not used them yet, but I am planning on using them on my build. You will want to get the 5050 not the 3258. 5050's are brighter. Also, you will want to get a kit that includes the LED 12 volt controller. Some kits just have the 12 volt controller and some include a 120 volt to 12 volt converter depending on what you plan on using. With the controller you can use the included remote to change the color of the LED's and there are different lighting (flashing) patterns that you can control too. If you need a longer strip you can just buy the roll like you posted in 5050 and connect them together with a simple connector. If you go too much longer then you will need to upgrade the controller to a higher amp unit.

http://www.amazon.com/Lycheers-Waterpro ... 5M+RGB+led

[GPW]

Just thinking ...with some fiber optic cables and LED lights and controller it would be fairly easy to make a “starry night” ceiling ...Or maybe even just Christmas lights ?

[GPW]

Here’s a site we found , and an interesting SIMPLE battery charger... http://www.thediyworld.com/Solar-Path-L ... harger.php

This is basically the same principle we’ve been working with (very Thrifty) Two of the above units should easily charge 4 AAA or AA batteries in short order... still < 10 bucks ...

I still believe that small individual solar units are more practical (and Thrifty) than a Large panel , DD storage batteries ,wiring etc. etc. And the bonus of repeatability, redundancy , each unit can charge/ power batteries for a small device. a light, a fan, a radio ... on and on

[depatty]

The only problem I see with the design is that there should be 2 diodes to keep the batteries separated so one with an internal short will not suck juice from a good one.

I modified the schematic to show what I'm talking about.



Please note that I am not claming any rights to this photo or design, just showing what I think will work a little better.

[Shadow Catcher]

I just bought 10 24SMD G4 LED arrays for $9.00 including shipping, these are backup/replacements for ones I have installed, should be a life time supply. I do realize some enjoy re-purposing and scrounging but it would be a very simple task to wire these in and even use a plastic bowl or what ever as a diffuser or buy a cheap RV fixture and adapt.
Nancy did not like my first attempt when I used cold LED's in the adaptation of our Mega Mini but here is the adaption using a different array.

[GPW]

Just a little Thrifty Christmas LED project ... Long have we realized we could increase the light area of a LED by inserting it into a white plastic bottle cap , from the side ...So we drilled some 1/4” holes in the edges of some caps we’d saved for just such an occasion ... tacked the caps in an old shadow box , ran the LED Christmas lights , and hooked it up ... a little hot glue to hold the wires, NICE!!! .... please excuse the picture , it does no justice to the colors and twinkling this thing does ... Just something for FUN , but it does make way for a more sophisticated LED / bottle cap trailer lighting scheme...

[grantstew8]

Hi
I bought these on the "bay" with a controller for about $30
http://youtu.be/RSwDQ-VbQSk

[GPW]

Grant, Thanks , we’ve seen those and have been interested... Any idea of how much current those strips draw?

[GPW]

And now we have a confirmation of the LED /bottle cap advantage... Only white caps work ... It seems to diffuse the light into a larger area, causing the whole surface to glow , and removes the harshness of the LED light... and it’s Thrifty ... With the LED giving off more “apparent” light , less are needed , requiring less current draw, smaller batteries , charging , and on and on ...
Naturally now I’m thinking how to make a bottle cap/LED “Decor” light fixture for the FS, or maybe even the house and Studio... LEDs ,for now , seem the the future of lighting

[GPW]

Oops !!! Yet another drawing ...

Thinking of a decorative -ish' light fixture like this , just a pretty wooden box with the right size holes in it to receive the bottle caps ... Maybe even a nice wooden cigar box...?

[MtnDon]

This suggestion is not a DIY project. As an off the shelf ready to use LED light I am quite pleased with them. Rated at 480 lumens output for $9.95 I was skeptical. I ordered 2 to see what they were like. Comparing them to a 120 VAC lamp sold as 800 lumens the two of these seem to as bright or brighter. It's an unscientific method; dark room and me seeing if a can read small print. I'm happy enough that I ordered a second round to fill some project needs.

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/trailer-lights/led-round-dome-light-led-fixture-3w/1544/3514/

Low Profile Round LED Dome Light Fixture with 3 High Power 1 Watt LEDs. 12-24 VDC operation. Measures 3.75 inch dia. x 1 inch thick with 16 inch power wires and Polycarbonate lens. Fully potted circuit board to resist water and corrosion. Surface mountable using 2 screw holes. Dimensions: 9.5cm(3.75") x 2.45cm(0.96").

Color Natural White
Color Temperature 5000 K
Current Draw 230mA
Diameter 3.75 in
Finish White
LED Amount 3 LEDs
LED Type 1 Watt Edison
Lens Type Clear
Lumen 480 Lumen
Standards And Certifications CE/FCC/ROHS Compliant
Suitable for Vehicles Yes
Volts 12~24 VDC
Wattage 2.75 Watts
Wire Length 40.6cm(16in)